Diatomaceous earth nanoparticles (DE) may be functionalized with fluorocarbons or saturated hydrocarbons to become superhydrophobic, but are incapable of chemically bonding to anything due to the highly unreactive self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of the fluorocarbons or saturated hydrocarbons. Current coating technologies generally incorporate fluorinated diatomaceous earth (FDE) into polymer solutions. The particles are held in by mechanical forces and can easily be rubbed out of the surface. The polymer surface typically is highly porous and very rough.